Malaria meds in jungle outside of Iquitos needed?

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> > > Just wondering if I can purchase Malarone in South America or Central America? I am thinking of going to Central America while in South America but am not sure yet and obviously wanted to be covered if I do end up going there. Also, would I need a prescription?.

Malarone is not licensed for sale in Central or South America.

Doxycycline is sold under the Vibramicina trade name. Sixteen-100mg pills cost 13.00 US$. The trade name for Cloroquina ( Paludrine ) is Nivaquine in Argentina. Thirty capsules cost 10.00 US$. They are sold without a prescription.

Chloroquine is easy to get in Central America and just as cheap as in Argentina. Aralen is one of the trade names.

I think some South America mossies are resistant to cloroquine. Do a search for "centre for infectious diseases".

Jorge Daniel Barchi.
Buenos Aires.

Thanks Esterosdel, but I wasnt asking about cost or where to get it. Only if it is REALLY needed...

per my guidebook, Iquitos is highest risk malaria area in Peruvian Amazon. Lodge/Jungle guides don't seem to take meds or use repellant (get some hi-%-DEET; my stuff was insufficient!) Had Malarone as my primary prophylaxis!! :0)

Orale,

How was the malarone? bad side effects? I heard its not too bad..

I could detect NO side effects whatsoever! :0)

I did not take prevention in Iquitos or anywhere in Peru. I used repellents, carried and used my own mosquito net and religiously followed other advice (wear long pants and socks in the evening, keep mosquitos out of your room etc).

A very simple reasoning that I believe is true: usually, any mosquito does not cover a distance of more than 100 meters in their lifespan. If there are no infected humans within that range, malaria can not be transmitted to you.

I can't guarantee that this is 100% true, but it makes sense to me and makes it seem less likely that you will get infected in isolated places like jungle lodges.

The most dangerous place would be the outskirts of towns in the jungle - where the poorer people live (less education, less healthcare, more sick persons) and there is proximity to the jungle or stagnant water sources where the moquitos can breed...

Let's say (hypothetically), that there's a 1% chance of catching some specific communicable disease (like malaria) on some specific trip (like visiting the jungle around Iquitos). That means that most people -- 99%! -- can go, come back, and tell people about how they didn't get infected. Klaush went and didn't get infected! Hell, you went to India and were fine!

How much do you value your health? Would you prefer to rely on anecdotes, or on a whole organization full of doctors, like the CDC?

All it takes is one teeny weeny, INFECTED mosquito, and you will probably be a pushing up the dirt in a few days. In 2005, I spent seven weeks in Peru travelling as far north as Trujillo, then into the rainforest at Puerto Muldonado, and did not use the malarone meds I had with me, because there were no reported cases of this insidious virus. This is NOT the case around Iquitos.

If you wish to visit a jungle lodge, but do not want to worry about malaria, my suggestions is to consider the Tambopata River region, close to the border with Brazil. I wrote an essay about my trip with Rainforest Expeditions here on TT. It will provide you with more details about what to see around Trujillo, and on the Tambopata

Have fun...but travel safe!
Frederic in Montréal

Thanks folks, sounds like I'm popping the pills...